When friends suggested that I start a blog about my living with MS, I wasn't sure how to do it, or where to start. So I decided to start at the beginning, when I first noticed something was wrong and then being diagnosed. And so I am continuing from there to get us to today.
I had a couple of wonderful friends email me after my last entry, sympathizing with what I am going thru with my injections. I haven't done an injection for about four years, but more on that later. On with the beginning, back to those nasty injections.
I had to do an injection every night, no matter where I was or how I felt. This was now my life and I had to take it seriously, whether I wanted to or not. I would get the kids to bed, climb in to my nice comfy bed after a long day, sitting next to my gorgeous husband . . . . and get out my bag of frozen peas! Lovely! I had resorted to doing the injection in my stomach every night because believe it or not it is the least painful place, once you get passed the mental part of stabbing yourself in the stomach. Plus it was getting big enough that I had plenty of areas to do it on, never doing in the same place twice. Imagine getting in to that warm cozy bed, next to your darling husband, to put a bag of frozen peas on your stomach forTHIRTY minutes, ON A FREEZING WINTER NIGHT! Those were the hardest. Ooooh, I'd be soooo cold. It would have been so easy to just say No. Isn't that what we always tell our kids? To just say No? Oh, wrong situation, Bummer.
I also found that I didn't give myself my injection on nights when I drank a little too much. Thank goodness I didn't do that too often. There didn't seem to be any repercussions from missing once in awhile. So I did my injections every night . . or most nights.
One of the first symptoms that I noticed and have already talked about was my right foot dragging. I couldn't pick it up normally, anymore, when I walked. As hard as I tried my ankle wouldn't do it. That is called foot drop. I had to be very careful when I was out walking because any little rise in the sidewalk or ground would cause me to trip. So I got good a walking looking down.
Which is unlike me. I am the one that walks down the street smilimg and saying hello to each person I passed that made eye contact with me. Most people would smile back and say Hi, but I'm sure I freaked out at least a few. Now I had to look down all the time to keep from tripping. My Physical Therapist wanted to get me a Foot Drop Brace, but even with our good health insurance it would have still cost us $200.00 out of pocket. We didn't have it. How much can molded plastic realy cost? Oh well, I was getting good at swinging my leg a little to the right when I walked to make it less likely to trip. They were concerned that I would ruin my right hip because this was not a natural function of your leg. Oh well, I will deal with that later. Right now I am not tripping.
I had a couple of wonderful friends email me after my last entry, sympathizing with what I am going thru with my injections. I haven't done an injection for about four years, but more on that later. On with the beginning, back to those nasty injections.
I had to do an injection every night, no matter where I was or how I felt. This was now my life and I had to take it seriously, whether I wanted to or not. I would get the kids to bed, climb in to my nice comfy bed after a long day, sitting next to my gorgeous husband . . . . and get out my bag of frozen peas! Lovely! I had resorted to doing the injection in my stomach every night because believe it or not it is the least painful place, once you get passed the mental part of stabbing yourself in the stomach. Plus it was getting big enough that I had plenty of areas to do it on, never doing in the same place twice. Imagine getting in to that warm cozy bed, next to your darling husband, to put a bag of frozen peas on your stomach forTHIRTY minutes, ON A FREEZING WINTER NIGHT! Those were the hardest. Ooooh, I'd be soooo cold. It would have been so easy to just say No. Isn't that what we always tell our kids? To just say No? Oh, wrong situation, Bummer.
I also found that I didn't give myself my injection on nights when I drank a little too much. Thank goodness I didn't do that too often. There didn't seem to be any repercussions from missing once in awhile. So I did my injections every night . . or most nights.
One of the first symptoms that I noticed and have already talked about was my right foot dragging. I couldn't pick it up normally, anymore, when I walked. As hard as I tried my ankle wouldn't do it. That is called foot drop. I had to be very careful when I was out walking because any little rise in the sidewalk or ground would cause me to trip. So I got good a walking looking down.
Which is unlike me. I am the one that walks down the street smilimg and saying hello to each person I passed that made eye contact with me. Most people would smile back and say Hi, but I'm sure I freaked out at least a few. Now I had to look down all the time to keep from tripping. My Physical Therapist wanted to get me a Foot Drop Brace, but even with our good health insurance it would have still cost us $200.00 out of pocket. We didn't have it. How much can molded plastic realy cost? Oh well, I was getting good at swinging my leg a little to the right when I walked to make it less likely to trip. They were concerned that I would ruin my right hip because this was not a natural function of your leg. Oh well, I will deal with that later. Right now I am not tripping.
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